Golden Stinger
by Shade Penn
Summary: Slice of Life /Modern!AU, there are still faunus though. Drabbles. In the present, Jaune didn't know how to deal with Tyrian. In the future, he still doesn't, but that's alright with him. Jaune/Tyrian. Implied Blake/Yang
1. Future: Lazy Mornings

**A/N: So, I'm aware that Tyrian's interest in Jaune really is due to his semblance or something about his aura, but guilty as charged my _knee-jerk_ reaction was more... in the gutter.**

* * *

A loud shrill ringing disturbed what was otherwise a _very_ good sleep. Groaning, Jaune reached onto the nightstand, squinting through bleary eyes as his hand found the alarm clock. He pressed down on a button, didn't really care which one, and buried his head back into his pillow. "Why did I set that thing for 6 in the morning? That's too early to be doing _anything."_

A tired chuckle rang out behind him, and an arm wrapped around his waist and a taller but leaner body slid on top of him, legs straddling Jaune's thighs. "It's all fun and games until you remember how sore you are in the morning, isn't it?"

Jaune grunted in response, but shivered as he felt the warm breath against his ear. "Too early for round two either." he mumbled, and slipped his head under the pillow. "Let's just go back to sleep; you're not as funny as you think you are before you've had your coffee."

"And you, sunshine, are more prickly before you've had yours." Tyrian retorted.

Snorting, Jaune looked over his shoulder, the pillow falling to the wayside. He was still a bit sore in his lower back, so he turned over gingerly. It didn't stop him from reaching up to cup both side's of the other man's face, and bringing it slowly towards his own, Jaune stopped as their lips were inches apart.

Blue locked with yellow for a long, silent moment.

Finally, Jaune breathed, "Cereal. My bowl of cereal. Coffee's your thing mostly."

Tyrian stared at him. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped in surprise. He pulled back and ran a hand over his hair, expression turning perplexed. Slowly, a chuckle seeped out until it turned into a full-blown cackle.

The man held his stomach as he doubled over onto his side of the bed, laughter still ringing through the room. Jaune scowled slightly as the force of the fall sent a shockwave over the mattress and an ache up his spine.

When the cackles died down to a snicker, Tyrian reached over and grabbed Jaune's chin. He closed the distance and planted a kiss on the blond's forehead. "How is it you keep managing to surprise me?"

Jaune recalled what garnered Tyrian's attention in the first place, and grinned. "Guess I'm just that interesting."

It got him another puzzled stare, and then set off another round of cackling.


	2. Present: First Sight

_This place is pretty...comfortable._

Jaune hadn't known what to think when Ruby told him to try this coffee shop to study in. She said Weiss used it, and that sort of automatically made him nervous. She was classy, rich, and probably used to luxury. Pyrrha though had offered to go with him, and that gave him the courage to _try_ at least.

He was surprised when they arrived, but in a good way. There were tables lined against the windows, a wide area to the side that for the moment was empty. With nothing else to stop him, Jaune sat down on the couch in front of the coffee table.

He blinked when Pyrrha hesitated. "Is something wrong?"

The redhead almost jumped, but hurried to shake her head, smiling sheepishly. "No, I just figured you might want to study by yourself."

"Actually, I was wondering if you could help me." Jaune scratched the back of his head, looking just as bashful. "I don't think I'd have passed last semester if you hadn't helped me. University is just...so much more overwhelming than I thought."

Pyrrha smiled gently as she sat beside him. "You shouldn't be so hard on yourself. Ruby has had a hard time too."

"Yeah, but that's because she's some genius." Jaune frowned down at the table. "Not because she got in on a scholarship."

"You earned it."

"No, I _have_ to earn it."

The redhead sighed quietly, but then she smiled again. "I'm going to get a coffee. Would you like something?"

Jaune shook his head. "Not right now."

Pyrrha hesitated once more, but nodded. "Alright then."

Jaune glanced at her as she left before pulling his books out of his bag. He heard the door to the shop open, but paid no mind to the newcomers as they took the couch beside his. Or at least, he _tried_ to ignore them, but honestly their topic of discussion was rather disturbing.

"You're clearly not getting it, _Hamlet_ is the most gory of Shakespeare's works. Practically the entire cast is dead at the end."

"No, _Romeo and Juliet_ is the most tragic. _Both_ main characters kill themselves, and leave dead bodies in their wake."

Jaune glanced around, but saw that many of the patrons were ignoring the arguing duo too. Some looked just disturbed though. Jaune finally let his gaze slide over to the other couch. The first thing he noticed was the dark-haired man's scorpion tail waving frenetically. The woman sitting next to him had her dark hair covering an eye, with what looked like scaring peering just out from under the fringe.

The faunus scoffed. "Ever since you got your voice back, you've done nothing but be absolutely wrong."

The woman's single gold eye narrowed and almost glowed with the anger burning in it. "I am not wrong: both leads make stupid decisions that are guided by lust they think is love." she sneered. "If they lived, they would have been divorced within a week once the _excitement_ wore off."

Jaune was curious despite himself. He'd studied Shakespeare in high school, but who hadn't? Much of it he couldn't remember, but there were a few lines he didn't think he'd forget. "The lady doth protests too much, methinks. To-"

"What did you just say?" A male voice asked.

Jaune jerked up, his eyes widening when he realized that the two _had_ heard him. The woman's eye was burning a hole through _him_ now, while the man's equally yellow eyes stared at Jaune intensely. The blond cleared his throat nervously. "Sorry, it just slipped out. Uh, don't mind me." he picked his book up, trying so very hard to look as though he were studying.

The woman frowned deeply before getting up and going to the line for the coffee, where Jaune noticed Pyrrha was almost to the front. Jaune looked back, and flinched when he found the man leaning across the gap between the couches, his gaze never leaving him.

"Can I help you?" Jaune really wasn't sure what to say. He had already made one of them mad.

"Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?"

Jaune blinked. "What?"

The man grinned. "You can quote _Hamlet_ but not recognize one of the most common phrases from _Romeo and Juliet?_ How fascinating this is!"

Jaune stared back in confusion. Was this man making fun of him? "Uh, it really isn't. And maybe you should blink a little."

The man did so, smiling in a way that seemed both manic and happy. "Well, this has been most entertaining. A pity I can't converse with you further, but fear not. I find you be _...interesting_ , so perhaps we may meet again."

Smoothly, the man slid to his feet, and made his way to the door. The woman who been with him glared as he passed her, and glared back ahead when he left.

Jaune barely noticed when Pyrrha came back, and he found he couldn't study until he knew one thing. "Hey, Pyrrha?"

"Yes, Jaune?"

"Do you know what 'shall I compare thee to a summer's day?' means?"

And for the life of him, Jaune didn't understand why Pyrrha suddenly began coughing.


	3. Future: Breakfast

Jaune would swear on his life that his all time favorite meal was a bowl of Pumpkin Pete's cereal. Heck, he had the hoodie to prove it! Sure, his parents hadn't been thrilled when Jaune convinced his sister's to join in on his quest to win one, nor had he liked being their dress-up doll as the trade off. No matter how 'cute' they said he looked, wearing suits to school hadn't been fun.

At twelve though, with all the wide-eyed determination of being able to make _choices_ , it had been worth it. He'd even gotten a larger hoodie just so he could grow into it.

So yeah, while he loved that cereal a lot, today be was feeling up to actually cooking something. He was by no means a master chef, but he didn't want to waste the skills he'd acquired from a cooking class.

He'd brought Tyrian with him, just because he didn't want to be the one making all the meals, but, well, _never again._

Even now, Jaune was still bewildered by it. Though, in some way, he really shouldn't have been. Tyrian wasn't one to act in a predictable manner, and Jaune had just grown used to it that he didn't notice when the faunus started chuckling and began throwing random ingredients into a boiling pot.

It hadn't been funny at the time, what with the panic and terror of Tyrian's pot having _ignited_. The haze of memory gave way though, washing out the negative and left Jaune with a realization he still couldn't believe.

Snickering to himself, Jaune cracked two eggs onto the heated pan. He was a bit nervous about burning the food still, but smiled to himself when not long after quick footsteps came down the hall from their bedroom. He grunted softly when a leaner body collided with his, arms wrapping around his waist, while a tail wrapped around him a well, resting snugly just below the hands.

"Something smells delightful." The words were murmured in his ear, warm breath tickling him.

Jaune bit his lip, cheeks flushing. He didn't mind being touch sensitive, but sometimes it got really distracting. Like when he was making breakfast and needed to keep focused. Ruining a pan was one thing, but he wasn't going to burn down the apartment. "I hope you mean the food, 'cause we both need to have a shower."

"Do we? I always did prefer my scent on you." Tyrian pressed his nose against Jaune's neck, and inhaled deeply.

Jaune's cheeks flushed deeper. "I'm not sure whether to say this is cute or weird. And you've done some pretty weird things."

"Can we just not agree I enjoy our moments together, and you find my quirks charming?" The other man questioned.

"Right, charming." Jaune drawled. He slid the spatula under an egg and made sure neither were stuck. "I find it as charming as when you take the things I ask and see them as suggestions."

Tyrian let out a dramatic gasp, and he leaned around Jaune's shoulder just to let the blond see him place a hand on his own chest as though hurt. "I for one take great offense..." he grinned at him. "I take your requests at my own leisure." his grin softened into a smirk as he leaned forward and pressed their foreheads together. "You certainly don't complain about that when we lay together."

Jaune blushed again, but he didn't let it stun him as it used too. "I'm not exactly going to be doing much besides moaning and saying 'oh dust, don't stop'- and then you go _slower_." he let annoyance seep into his tone. "Even having sex you don't follow my instructions."

Tyrian shrugged, smirking shamelessly. "Is it so wrong to want to draw it out?"

Jaune's remark was cut off by the smoke alarm blaring. The eggs had been charred and smoke rising around the edges. "Crap!" he shrugged off the other man's grip and pulled the pan off the burner. He groaned quietly as he grounded the spatula against the eggs, managing to scrap it off, but it came out not at all like he hoped. "Well, I guess we're having scrambled eggs."

"And then we can continue our riveting conversation."

Jaune rolled his eyes. Yeah, riveting.


	4. Past: Hello

Jaune grunted as he adjusted his bag over his shoulder. Why did he have to drag around all these books? Oh yeah, because otherwise he'd fall behind, and if he screwed up just _one_ subject, well, he didn't want to have the nasty surprise of his scholarship being yanked.

And it didn't help he was still distracted by what that guy had said. He had been called hot, and he didn't even get realize it until Pyrrha stammered it out. Jaune was still a bit flustered, given he hadn't even _met_ the man before.

That woman he was with...he had seen _her_ though. Cinder, he found out her name was. She was an older student, like in her last year of university, but was in an accident and just got back from recovering. It was honestly more than Jaune thought he had any right to know, that _anyone_ should know, but he felt sorry for her even if she was kind of scary.

She kept to herself, and he'd seen her hanging out with a gray-haired boy and green-haired girl, but didn't get the feeling they were actually friends. Could be wrong, he'd been wrong before.

The knowledge he _did_ have of Cinder though wasn't enough to prepare seeing her walk out of a dorm-hers, most likely. Oh, and just to add to the embarassement, he almost crashed into her.

"I-I-I'm so sorry! I didn't see you, I swear!" Jaune hated how his voice cracked, but even with one eye still covered, the anger and disdain in Cinder's gaze made him feel small and insignicant. To her, he was.

"Maybe you should watch where you're going." she said, her voice quiet but menacing.

"I said I was sorry, and it's not like I meant to bump into you." Jaune couldn't help it; he was scared, but she was just being rude now.

Cinder still scowled at him. "Listen, I don't know who you think you ate-"

The door beside her clicked open, and Jaune had tne dubious honor of seeing the woman's expression go from threatening to annoyed in an instant. The blond blinked at the man who walked out, partially by the fact it was the same faunus from the coffee shop, but also because he realized how strikingly alike they looked.

"Are you two siblings?" Jaune's face flushed at how out of nowhere that came.

Cinder scowled at him, her answer an instant "No", while the man said "Yes."

The man gasped, holding a hand to his chest dramatically. He stared at Cinder with an exaggerated hurt in his eyes. "How can you say that? Did our wonderful mother not raise us side by side?"

Cinder scowled, clearly unwilling to play along. "Foster mother," she gritted out, "and you're nothing but a foster brother."

The man crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes. It was like a flip in personality. "How ungrateful you are, didn't I just about break my back hauling all you're luggage back here?"

Cinder sneered at him. "The car is ten feet outside, and it was only three suitcases."

"Details, meaningless drivel." The man said dismissively. Jaune nearly jumped when the man leaned towards him, tail swishing behind him, as though remembering he was there. "Though _you're_ certainly not meaningless. How lovely it is to see you so soon."

Jaune furrowed his brow, confusion coursing through him. "Uh, thanks?" he hated how it came out, but he had no other way to convey it.

He was surprised; he didn't expect to see him either.

The man smiled, just as manic as it had been in the coffee shop. He crossed his arm over his waist, and bent like he was taking a bow, flourishing out his other arm. "Twice in two days; why, it must be fate-or simply good timing."

Cinder glanced to the side in irritation, and if Jaune didn't think she was above it, she might have even rolled her eyes. "This isn't your theatre troupe, so why don't you talk like a normal person?"

"Dear sister, why would I do that when being normal is overrated?" The man asked.

Cinder glared at him. " _Don't_ call me that. I am not your sister." she hissed, and without a word she stormed back into the room. An awkward pause followed, but then Cinder peered back out, another scowl on her lips. "And get out of here, people might think you're my brother like this fool does." she snapped before shutting the door, and a pointed lock click followed.

Sighing, the man shook his head as though he was dealing with a child's tantrum. He smiled at Jaune like nothing happened. "So, my dear boy, are you doing anything later?"

Jaune blinked, his insides churning as dizziness made him go light-heated. Did...did he just get asked out? "Did you just ask me out?"

The man raised a brow. "Is that not the proper etiquette one goes with when someone catches their interest?"

What? Jaune clenched his jaw, his mouth refusing to move as he tried to decipher what had just been said. True, a date _was_ just a way to gauge compatibility, but Jaune had always thought it was more...romantic. Movies told him that: you like someone, you go out, and it went from there.

Jaune...felt none of that. Maybe the man thought he was cute, but the blond had no idea what to think. "I...need some time to think it over. This is really sudden."

The man held up a hand. "Ah, say no more. Take all the time you need, I can be very patient."

"Thanks," Jaune rubbed the back of his neck, "but the thing is this is, well, _really_ sudden. I don't even know your name!"

The man blinked, his form faltering as one hand slapped the side of his head. "No wonder this must be awkward for you. Why, here I am blathering on and we've never once introduced ourselves properly. My name is Tyrian, and you are?"

Jaune was bemused, confused, every kind of 'fused' as he wasn't quite sure what to think still. Still, being odd wasn't any concern for alarm. "Jaune."

"Ah, such an apt name, it matches your hair so perfectly."

Jaune self-consciously touched a lock of his hair. "I guess my parents ran out of names by the time I came along then."

"There's nothing to be ashamed of, it's a nice shade of yellow." Tyrian replied. He turned on his heel, and waved one hand behind him. ""Til we meet again."

Jaune blinked, but before he could day anything, the faunus had already left. "Huh, that was kind of weird."


	5. Future: Night

Decorations were overloading in the foyer, spilling into the hall. Jack-o-lantern pumpkins, carved with different designs like a witch on a broom, a cat, a scarecrow, all done by Tyrian showing off his carving skills. Jaune only had the standard 'grinning pumpkin' to show, more than having accepted he was not the artistic one in this relationship.

Though, ask the tenants in the building, they preferred dealing with Jaune than his other half. The thought it was because Tyrian was a faunus crossed Jaune's mind, until he realized even the other faunus tenants didn't want to deal with the man. Jaune supposed on some level he understood the hesitancy, because they'd been together for years and he still had no clue half the time on how to handle Tyrian.

Jaune wasn't sure though why everyone expected _him_ too.

Halloween though was like a flip switched in the faunus, as though the build up to that one night was permission to spend the _whole_ month dressing up. More than once he got angry parents calling him to yell at Tyrian for scaring their kids because his costumes freaked them out. Given Jaune had woken up to see a skull mask looming over him one morning, he could relate.

It made them the most despised tenants for one month a year, which thankfully meant they weren't kicked out.

Though it led him to the current morning just as Halloween night drew near. Jaune mixed candy into a bowl for the trick-or-treaters while Tyrian had his arms wrapped around the blond's waist, still trying to coax him into dressing up.

"You do that enough for the both of us." Jaune said.

"Don't let those bores keep you from expressing yourself." Tyrian said, and leaned against Jaune's back. smiriking as he slyly whispered in the blond's ear. "Or you could put on a collar just for me and call me master."

Jaune's face flushed, and he bit his lip. The blond breathed in deep, and smirked back as he held his stare. "Not outside the bedroom."

Tyrian blinked, but he cackled and buried his face into Jaune's neck. "You still manage to surprise me."

Jaune flushed a bit more freely. "Well I'd have to in order to keep up with you." He let out an 'ouf' as he was lifted off his feet and tossed over Tyrian's shoulder as the faunus put the bowl down. "Hey, I need to keep mixing that."

"Those runts can wait, _I_ need some attention right now."


	6. Past: Chance

Jaune frowned at his textbook, the words making even less sense than usual. His lamp glared over the pages, but all he could think of were those yellow eyes staring into his. The blond ran a hand through his hair, slamming his head into the pages. Why was the faunus on his mind? Sure, the guy was rather theatrical and self-assured, but he was wanted to go on a date because he thought Jaune was _hot_.

The blond's face heated, because despite how shallow the reason, it was flattering. He knew he would never get attention like Yang with her brash boldness, Weiss' dignity, Ren's quiet thoughtfulness, Ruby's genius or Pyrrha's... _everything_.

Then again, Jaune could never deny the first thing which caught his attention was someone's look, like Weiss' striking white hair back when he used to have a crush on her. He'd went about trying to woo her in the wrong way, and he realized now he still had no idea how to go about with anything dating related.

The movies were rather skewed in real life.

Jaune closed his textbook, frowning thoughtfully. Movies let him down about Weiss, but now he needed to go about it in a different way. _Who to ask though?_ Well, the only actual couple he knew were Blake and Yang, since despite appearances, Ren and Nora weren't together.

The thought remained on his mind, and when the next day rolled around, Jaune made a beeline for Blake as she sat reading a book in the cafeteria. He sat across from her, but she never looked up. Jaune tapped his fingers on the table, but decided to break her concentration even if it was rude.

"Blake, can I ask you something?"

"Isn't that why you sat down?" Blake questioned.

"Right, yeah." Jaune rubbed the back of his neck. "So...I was wondering how you and Yang got together. Like, who made the first move?"

Blake stiffened, her eyes pinned as she slowly lowered her book and there was a glare in her eyes. "What?"

Jaune continue on despite the growing anger directed at him. "I got asked out," his face flushed, "and I don't know what to do. I thought since you and Yang are so happy, maybe you had the right way to go about it."

Blake's annoyance drained the more she heard, but now she looked distinctly uncomfortable. "You thought to ask _me?_ " she asked a tad incredulously. "I'm not the best person to talk to about this. Go find Yang."

"I don't know where she is." Jaune pointed out.

Blake stood up. "Then ask someone else. I have to go."

Jaune tried to call after her, but Blake only kept going. He sighed and leaned on his fist. Well that didn't go so well.

"Hey, Jaune."

Jaune blinked as he looked up and found a younger girl wearing a red hood around her shoulders. He never questioned it, only seeing it as a quirk geniuses had, but found it endearing all the same. "Oh, hi, Ruby."

"I saw you talking to Blake, should Yang be worried?" Ruby giggled.

Jaune furrowed his brow, but blinked when he realized what she meant. "No. I only wanted her advice about dating."

Ruby slapped her forehead. "Jaune, that is literally the last thing you could ask her about. Why do you want to know anyway?"

Jaune glanced around. "Someone asked me out." he said quietly.

Ruby squealed as she took Blake's empty seat. "Really? Who? Anyone we know? Pyrrha?"

Jaune jerked back, frowning as Ruby covered her mouth. "Why would Pyrrha ask me out?" he shook his head. "It's not her, or anyone else you know-well, that might not be true. You heard of someone named Cinder Fall?"

Ruby blinked. "The senior that got into an accident?" her eyes widened. "That's who you're going out with?"

"No." Jaune said hastily, because he could freely admit she scared him too much to approach on his own. "And I haven't decided if I'm accepting the offer; her foster brother asked me out and I wanted advice."

"B-brother?" Ruby stuttered over the word, but smiled again. "You never know unless you try, right?"

Jaune gave her a flat stare, but he wouldn't dismiss her advice. It was a bit... _odd_ though. "Was that from a self-help book?"

Ruby pulled her hood up. "It's good advice." she said petulantly.

"I'm not knocking it, just...would it apply to this?" Because honestly, Jaune had no idea.

Ruby shrugged. "You're not sure, right? So what's wrong with giving it a shot? Worst case, the date doesn't work out and you never see him again."

Jaune was sure there was something off about that, but he was preoccupied with how the date would actually go. What if it was boring, what if...it actually went well? Jaune sighed deeply. "You've given me a lot to think about."

* * *

Jaune didn't think it would actually work, but he remembered Cinder's words. Which led him to the local theatre. The place was open, and he felt a little silly for looking around the building aimlessly. It finally made him ask the first person he came across if they knew a Tyrian.

She gave him an odd look, but told him to wait in the foyer. Jaune did so, but his stomach churned as began to freak out over why he was here. _What am I doing? This was a terrible idea. What if he thinks I'm pathetic? What if_ -

"Ah, surely I must be dreaming, for only in my dreams did I dare think you would seek me out."

Jaune breathed in deep, and fought down the flush rising in his cheeks. When he turned around, it came back full force. Tyrian was wearing a white uniform that showed off his bare arms and chest, and Jaune struggled to keep his focus on the man's face. "I thought about your offer-I mean, asking me out."

Tyrian's eyes lit up, and he stepped lightly toward the blond, tail swishing behind him. "You have?"

Jaune heard the softness in his voice, and bit the inside of his cheek. "I've given this a lot of thought and...I'd like to give going on a date a chance."


	7. Future: Movie Night

"Your friends not want to come over?"

Jaune settled in the couch, a bowl of popcorn in his lap. "No, everyone's got other plans." he leaned against the man's shoulder as he felt the tail wrap around his waist. "Blake and Yang got their own date night, Ruby said she and Sun are going out, and I couldn't even get through to Ren and Nora."

"What about those other two...the redhead and the Ice Queen?" Tyrian questioned, absently waving his hand.

"They had plans to go to a ballet already, so I didn't want to bug them." Jaune explained.

"Well, they're loss. This just means I get you all to myself." The faunus replied as he pulled Jaune closer, and took the bowl from him.

The blond rolled his eyes, shaking his head as he turned on the movie. He grimaced as he realized Tyrian had put on a horror film.


	8. Past: Date (1)

Jaune looked at his reflection. He'd never thought to take care of his appearance, as rushing through campus took a toll on anything except rushing there. Homework took up most of his nights, and the rare moments were spent with his friends just watching a movie out in the lobby.

This night though...Jaune gulped as he smoothed down his hair. It was a bit more tamed, but still fluffed up. He found a nice pair of jeans, and a dress-shirt for special occassions and a jacket over it. He was probably underdressed, though Jaune wouldn't know since Tyrian had been quiet over it, just smirking in that way of his.

Jaune sighed and walked out of his room, finding Ren sitting on the couch doing his homework, Nora leaning against the back of the seat as she tossed popcorn into her mouth. "How...how do I look?" he opened his arms, stiff despite accepting the criticism.

Ren blinked up at him. "You look nice."

Nora set the bowl on her lap, clapping her hands. "Nice? You're so cleaned up!"

Jaune flushed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Thanks." He took his keys from his pocket. "I'll probably be back late."

"If the date goes south, want us to call you?" Nora asked up front.

Jaune paused, honestly considering it. Eventually, he shook his head. "Nah, I'll be fine." he said, and closed the door behind him. He walked through the hall until he reached the entrance, but frowned as he couldn't spot the dark-haired man anyway.

The courtyard was empty, with nothing except a few scattered cars in the circular driveway. There was an overhead canopy roof to keep the water out, but nothing else. A chill swept through the courtyard, chilly despite the sun being out. Granted, it was setting, casting a pinkish-orange across the sky.

Jaune stared out at the sun as he began to disappear behind the southern buildings. "Wow. That view never fails to impress."

"Speak for yourself."

Jaune shrieked as he jumped forward, whirling around as he almost fell. A hand shot out, grabbing the front of his jacket as he's steadied. Jaune's heart beat rapidly in his chest, eyes wide as he meets yellow. The blond sucked in a deep breath, calming down as he realized Tyrian was hanging upside down over the edge of the archway.

And then Jaune got angry. "I can't believe you just did that! Warn a guy next time."

"I was amazed watching you be amazed though. I couldn't bespoil such awe." Tyrian still managed to flourish, despite continuing to hang upside down.

Jaune flushed, but rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I guess." he said, still huffy. "Can we go? Are you finally going to tell me where this date is?"

The other man smirked as he twisted around and dropped to the pavement. He stood up straight, and did his half-bow as he gestured to a vehicle by the curb. "Our chariot awaits, my dear."

Jaune raised a brow, but walked over to the car. "You still didn't answer my question."

"Ah, but that would spoil the surprise." Tyrian replied with a smile.

"Surprise, right." Jaune palmed the phone in his pocket, just a bit nervous with the evasiveness.

The ride wasn't long, and soon after going by into a surburban neighbourhood, the man pulled to a stop in a driveway filled with two other cars. Jaune blinked as he got out, looking around at the cookie cutter houses and close-cut lawns.

"What is this?" Jaune stiffened as he squinted against the headlight as another car drove in, the window down and the blond just saw a head of short dark hair peering out. Jaune realized it was Cinder, and she looked angry.

Tyrian huffed as he got out, coming around the car to stand by Jaune's side. "Dear sister, I am here for the same reason as you; mother-dearest asked us all to come for dinner, and so I did!" he reached out and wrapped an arm around Jaune's shoulder, who was slowly realizing just what this _date_ was. "And I brought a date with me-how exciting, isn't it? Mother is sure to like him!"

Jaune wanted the ground to swallow him up. _Oh crap._


	9. Past: Dinner (2)

Jaune wasn't sure what to do, his reprimand on his tongue but he choked it back as Tyrian grabbed his hand and dragged him excitedly to the door of the house, and away from a scowling Cinder. Jaune gulped as the man opened the door. "Why'd you bring me here, especially for a first date?" he whispered frantically.

The taller man raised a brow. "Why wouldn't I? If we're going to be dating you'd have to meet my family eventually. Might as well get it over with now." He shrugged.

Jaune stared incredulously at him. "Okay, there's so much wrong with that I don't know where to begin." He muttered, and sighed in frustration as he was tugged to the dining room.

It made him freeze up again, because this was actually, really happening – he was so not ready for this. Jaune swallowed nervously, his nerves not helped as Cinder shut the door and stalked by them. She took the seat furthest away from everyone on the long table decorated for something like a banquet than a dinner.

"Mother, how wonderful it is to see you again!" Tyrian said to the stately, ageless woman at the head of the table.

She had her hair tied up, a blonde so white that it almost matched her very pale skin and made her reddish eyes stand out more. Her expression was set in a stern line, and only inclined her head towards the man. "Tyrian. I see you've brought a guest."

"Yes, Mother, this is Jaune." Tyrian pulled the blond closer to him, slinging an arm around his shoulder and Jaune tried not to fidget. "He's my date!"

Though it was incredible difficult not to.

Cinder's visible eye narrowed as if attempting to stop herself from rolling it, while the other two at the table Jaune finally took notice of in his nervous haze both looked like they equally cared less.

The stately woman though settled a piercing gaze on Jaune, who tensed like a deer in the headlights. It was only a brief moment, but it seemed to stretch on as her eyes narrowed as if dissecting him, but just as easily her expression softened a touch even she wasn't smiling. "Welcome, Jaune. I am Salem, and this is Hazel," she gestured to the silent, buff brown-haired man, "Arthur," next indicated was the man dressed like he was going to a business meeting than a dinner, "and Cinder."

Jaune was so awkward already, that he blurted the first thing that came to mind. "I know Cinder, we go to the same university."

Cinder glared at him. "We don't know each other." She said before anyone could speak up. "I'd never hang out with a freshman."

"You mean you're not Cinder's age?" Tyrian asked, sounding bemused.

Jaune furrowed brow, his nerves fraying even more. "No, I'm nineteen." He paused, then with a little trepidation, he followed up with, "How old are _you?"_

"I did not know we'd be getting dinner _and_ a show." Arthur said.

"Arthur." Salem said in reprimand, before her gaze turned to Jaune and Tyrian. "Now is not the time to have this discussion. Please, sit and let us eat."

"Yes, Mother." The faunus said quietly.

"Sorry, ma'am." Jaune added, and sat down awkwardly at the end of the table. He _really_ wanted to disappear at that moment. Even more so when Tyrian glanced between the seat next to Jaune, and the empty one next to Salem, the taller man went to sit next to his foster mother.

Jaune's eyes widened incredulously, the urge to shout at him again tempered by the sheer embarrassment of being left sitting by himself. His cheeks flamed red. _Well, this evening isn't getting off to a great start._


	10. Past: Aftermath (3)

Jaune morosely picked at his lunch, grimacing as what couldn't be described as food so much as a pile of mush laid on his plate. Which was appropriate, considering he felt about as well as this meal looked.

"Come on, Jaune, it really couldn't have been that bad." Nora said, bumping her shoulder against his as she sat down, Ren taking the other side of the table in the cafeteria. "So your date didn't go so well, who hasn't a bad first date before?"

 _I knew it was a bad idea to say anything at all,_ Jaune thought. He had just told the bare minimum about how things didn't go as he expected – because who _would_ expect that? – but Nora was determined to get an answer out of him.

"You weren't there, it was probably the most painful night of my life." Jaune said.

"Wow, TMI." A voice called, and Jaune groaned as Yang and Ruby came walking up, the blonde sitting next to Ren while Ruby took to Jaune's other side.

"It wasn't like that, Yang." Jaune muttered, but Ruby was almost bouncing in her seat.

"So you said yes to the date? How'd it go? Did you have fun?" she asked, and Jaune glanced at her earnest, eager face – and he folded like paper.

"I went out but…." Jaune started, wondering how he could phrase it, before realizing there was no way to make it sound good. "It was a disaster. The guy took me to meet his family for a dinner, on the _first date_ , and if that wasn't bad enough, he left me sitting by myself and practically ignored me the whole evening talking to his mother. I honestly would've had Nora call me except Cinder was glaring at me the rest of the evening and I was too scared of the mother to do anything."

"Wow, that sucks, man." Yang said casually. Jaune rolled his eyes.

"Yang!" Ruby scolded her sister, before looking at Jaune sympathetically. "That, uh, _does_ sound kinda…overwhelming."

"It was a disaster." Jaune reiterated bluntly.

"At least he didn't make you walk home," Ren said, but paused, "did he?"

"No, once everyone was finished eating and cleaned the table up we left." The blond relayed.

Nora hummed, and then she smiled brightly. "So when's the second date?" she asked abruptly, and Jaune sputtered, cheeks flushing.

Ren sighed. "Nora, where in all that did you get thinking there'd be another date?"

"Well if Jaune had such a bad time on the first date, clearly the _second_ is a chance for a do-over, silly." Nora said as though it were obvious.

Everyone else at the table turned to look at Jaune, who's cheeks flushed a deeper red before he hung in his head embarrassment, saying, "We're going out again next weekend."


	11. Future: Celebration

The party was in full swing, people acting like rowdy teenagers than adults. Some danced to the music, others chatted as everyone waited for the clock to strike midnight and usher in the new year. Jaune took a sip from his cup, glancing over the rim at the makeshift living room turned into an impromptu dance floor, the television practically ignored. Jaune hadn't known anyone at the party and would have turned the offer down, but Tyrian had overheard Jaune talking with Saphron about the invite when she called him earlier.

It had taken little more than the faunus wheedling him over it before Jaune caved and called his sister back to accept going with her and Terra to the party.

Currently, Jaune could spot Saphon and Terra over by the wall, talking with another couple. The blond didn't want to bother them, and his attention was taken by the feel of two arms around his waist. Jaune glanced down from the corner of his eye as Tyrian rested his chin on the younger man's shoulder. Jaune sniffed, the heavy scent of alcohol on the other's breath as if the hazy gleam in his eyes didn't give him away. "Drunk already? That didn't take long." Jaune said idly.

"And you're veeeery not druuunk." Tyrian slurred, his voice lower and rougher than normal. "Why not? It's all freee here!"

Jaune raised a brow, and set his cup down. Right, he was definitely going to need to be the responsible one tonight. "That only means the drinks and food are free. I better not see you trying to take anything else."

The other man snickered, leaning in closer as he nuzzled Jaune's neck. "I'm good 'ong as I get to take you hooome."

Jaune found himself still flustered even as he rolled his eyes. "We live together. Of course we're going home after."

"Reaaally?" Tyrian breathed, leaning up, his lips grazing against the blond's jawline to his temple, pressing a kiss there.

Jaune huffed, but smiled despite himself as the other man clung to him like a sweater. It was a bit difficult moving them somewhere less crowded, trying to navigate a drunken faunus who still cared little about staying out of people's way. "Sorry, sorry." Was what Jaune said so many times in just a few short minutes.

None cared too much as midnight was getting closer and closer.

Once in the hall, Jaune was shifted and his back pushed against the wall. The blond's face was held gently, and he glanced up, blue meeting yellow for a long moment. Jaune's mouth curled up. "I know that look – you want something more than a kiss at midnight we're gonna need to leave."

Tyrian blinked slowly, before he grinned. "I can wait for that other part until we're alone." He leaned in to press their noses together. "Unless you wouldn't mind finding a bathroom and locking the door."

Jaune made a face, turning away with a grimace. "A _bathroom?_ And for a moment I thought you were pretending to be drunk to be a clingy jerk." He muttered.

The older man chuckled, and as the crowd in the living room hollered and cheered, counting down the seconds to midnight.

" _Four, three, two, one!"_ Everyone in the living room was focused on the television, but Jaune surprised the other man by throwing his arms around his neck and bringing him down into a kiss. " _Happy New Year!"_

Jaune felt Tyrian's hands grasp him tightly, deepening the kiss. Yeah, Jaune was going to enjoy this new year, starting once they both got home.


	12. Past: Round Two

Jaune didn't see any of his friends staking out the courtyard, but he wondered how long it would take for the first text to happen once Tyrian picked him up. He wasn't sure whether to be annoyed or touched they would probably, definitely, be calling. Especially since they thought Jaune was making a boneheaded move having agreed to a second date at all. Not that now he wasn't having second thoughts either.

Tyrian thought taking him on a first date to his mother's for dinner was acceptable, what did he think was normal for a second? Jaune could admit half the reason he wanted a second try was to find out the answer, because there was this push and pull which made him uneasy and yet still wanted to see things went.

There was probably a word for it, but Jaune didn't feel all too keen on finding that out.

The blond glanced up at the approaching car, and his pocket vibrated. It was a text from Nora: Remember, anything goes wrong and we can always break his legs! There was even a smiley face. Jaune sighed, a smile tugging at his lips. At least let me get through the date before I decide if that's how to go about it he replied, putting in a winking face to show he was kidding.

Pocketing his phone, Jaune made his way to the car, leaning down to stare warily inside. "Hey." Tyrian was on time, this was a good start, right? And he wasn't hanging from anything to freak Jaune out like before.

"Hello, my dear, you look quite nice tonight." The man replied.

Jaune only smiled as he got into the car. He might not have dressed like a slob, but he wasn't sure an open jacket, a dress shirt and jeans could be considered 'nice' to wear on a date. 'But it's not like he told me where we were going, even when I asked.' he thought. "So, you're not taking me to meet anymore relatives, are you?"

Tyrian didn't smile. "The only person left would be Mother's ex-husband, but she doesn't like him very much." he said, and huffed. "I think Cinder only decided to come to this school to hurt her, knowing that man is in charge of the place."

Jaune's jaw dropped. "In charge-Ozpin is your mother's ex?" he asked incredulously.

Tyrian gave him a narrowed, side way stare. "Yes, but enough about such unpleasantness." Like a flip had been switched, his whole demeanour shifted and a smile lit up his face. "How has your week been?"

Again, Jaune became aware of the push and pull dichotomy going on inside of him. He should feel annoyed still by the abject refusal to give him a straight answer, but also warmed by the genuine sincerity in the man's voice. "Not much, just a lot of homework and late nights." he replied, and couldn't help finding himself adding, "What about you? How was your...university days?"

"A lot of boring drivel much of the time, I only bothered paying attention to what I needed to know and discarded the rest." Tyrian said.

That didn't really surprise Jaune, but he was surprised though that the man didn't seem to notice how leading the question was in the first place. "And how long has it been since then?" Wow, okay, that was a bit too obvious.

And accordingly Tyrian avoided answering. Well, the question anyway. "It must have been terribly uncomfortable being put on the spot like that. I realize now the folly of bringing up the age difference in such a manner."

Right, in front of everyone, and leaving him alone afterwards to stew in it. Jaune felt the push, and frowned at the dashboard, headlights on because of the darkened sky overhead as they drove along the street. "It did though. And you just left me there. By myself."

"Well it would have been rude to ignore my mother, she was hosting us all after all." Tyrian replied, sounding as if that should have been obvious. "And I took you back to your dorm. Speaking of such, if it bothered you that much why didn't you say something on the ride back?"

Jaune flushed, right down to his neck. It had been building all week and now it was too late to hold back. "I was too humiliated to bring it up then, but now it's out there, alright?"

"Why did you agree to a second date then?"

"Because-because-" Jaune gritted his teeth. Admitting it partially in front of his friends was one thing, this was something else. Lowering his voice to a mutter, he said, "I wanted to try again."

Jaune only glanced up from the corner of his eye for a second, but it was enough to catch the grin spreading along Tyrian's lips. "Is that so?" he at least managed not to sound as pleased as he looked. "Am I as fascinating to you now, as you are to me?"

Jaune was starting to suspect that 'fascinating' or 'interesting' or anything related were being used euphemistically. "I'm not sure that's the word I'd use to describe you." he said flatly. "And what's so interesting about me anyway? I just told you what I did all week and you thought doing the same was boring."

"It does intensely bore me." Tyrian said bluntly. "Though I can appreciate you are working towards a different end than I was where such knowledge may be of actual use."

Jaune glanced at him suspiciously. "Are you just putting up with me because you think I'm hot still?"

The faunus chuckled. "Much as I find you physically appealing, not even that would hold my interest if you were boring."

"I stay in at night doing homework and hang out with my friends any other night. How is that not boring?" Jaune asked in disbelief.

"I am not referring to your daily activities, I am of course talking about your personality. By definition the thing which gives anyone a meager baseline to perform human interaction competently." Tyrian said.

Jaune rolled his eyes. "So what you're really getting at is you like when I get snarky? I'm pretty sure that's most people my age." He really couldn't see the man's logic in this, but perhaps trying to reason what Tyrian found 'logical' was a useless metric to measure anything he did by.

The man suddenly turned the car onto the curb of the road, before Jaune realized it led to an outlook in the camping grounds. It was still a bit chilly for any hikers or campers to be out here, and Jaune's stomach did a strange twist when it slowly became apparent it was just the two of them here.

The push/pull was back, sending a bout of uneasy anticipation through him when Tyrian got out of the car. He watched the man open the trunk from the rearview mirror, and his breath caught. It released with a confused sigh as all Tyrian took out was a blanket and came around to Jaune's side. The man smiled widely and opened the door with a flourish.

"Shall we?"

Jaune swallowed, blinking slowly. "Shall we what?" he asked, but still climbed out of the car. A mixture of nerves and excitement went through him.

Tyrian drapped the blanket over the hood of the car, covering the windshield. "To gaze upon the stars, of course." he said, and a wicked glint appeared in his eyes. "What did you think was going to happen?"

Jaune's jaw tightened, and he narrowed his eyes as he fought the urge to flush. "You mean I had to wait a whole week just to know we could have done the same thing at a planetarium?"

Tyrian waved it off. "The real thing makes it more, well, real." he grinned. "And you can't say you weren't dying to find out either."

Jaune crossed his arms, unamused. This was perhaps the only strand of logic so far he actually could follow. He stiffened when Tyrian suddenly leaned in close, closer than he had done so far.

"Or did you perhaps hope something else would be happening?" he asked, and the warm breath flushed Jaune's cheeks.

Jaune exhaled slowly, and jerked up his chin. "I'm not really the type of guy who makes out on the second date."

Tyrian held his gaze for a beat longer, before pulling back with another grin. "Fair enough, perhaps you'll feel more comfortable when we're better acquainted in the future."

Jaune waited until the man turned away before sagging and running a hand through his hair. He didn't think he'd be able to keep his cool like that again any time soon. Belatedly, his hand froze as his brain caught up with the words. "In the future? You want to go out with me again?"

The man gazed back at him, brow raising. "Of course," he said, and smirked at Jaune, "I do find you so very interesting after all."


End file.
